Quebec drivers pay more for vehicle registration and licence costs even as they received poorer service compared to drivers from Alberta, according to a Montreal Economic Institute (MEI) study.
MEI says the Quebecers pay $142.35 for vehicle registration compared to $86.5 paid by Albertans.
The cost of driver’s licence in Quebec is also higher — $26.75 compared to $19.6 in Alberta.
Quebec drivers must also renew their registration and licence every year whereas in Alberta vehicle registrations need to be only renewed every two years and licences every five years.
“The result is clear: Quebec drivers pay around 60 per cent more for this service than their Albertan counterparts,” said Gabriel Giguère, policy analyst at MEI who co-authored the study.
“Not to mention the lack of customer satisfaction, especially since the SAAQclic fiasco,” he added.
The study also noted that SAAQ has 134 service points compared to 218 service points in Alberta even though its population is lower.
The conservative thinktank also said Alberta’s use of private sector for service points allowed it to keep the costs lower.
